This is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home
by XxNimith531xX
Summary: Redux   Maris is studying abroad in London and comes face to face with everyone's favorite Time Lord.  Can she withstand the trials and tribulations of traveling with him?  Will her feelings get in the way? 10xOC Begins during Series 3.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Hello fellow readers/writers. So, I wrote another version of this story with a different OC: Ana. And, for lack of a better expression, I hated it. I hated it SO much. So now, I redid it with a different OC, Maris. Hope you like her and the story and everything thereabouts. Thanks for stopping by! -Nimith

This Is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home

Chapter One: What to Do After Doomsday and a Crashed Wedding?

Maris Devereux had only been in London for a month and already she felt as if the walls of the world were closing in. College was hard but college across the 'pond' away from family and friends was even harder. What she would give to catch a break.

It was the first time she had ever taken the underground. Honestly, she didn't like it any better than the subways back in the States. Albeit, these British ones were a mite tidier than the Metra back home in her little suburb outside of Chicago. She inhaled the seemingly universal scent of public transit and leaned her head back against the window as the tram rocked back and forth. On her lap, she tightly held onto her school bag because her knees were bouncing up and down due to pent up agitation. She was late. Maris hated being late. One stop to go before she would sprint as fast as she could to class.

The tram jerked to a halt and Maris checked her watch again. She was never quite good with keeping track of time. There was just too much to do and not enough time in a day to get it all done. Feeling it getting warm as more passengers clambered aboard, Maris decided to tied up her long ebony locks in a ponytail and frowned. She had meant to read ahead for class but completely forgot. Go figure, it would be her luck. She hastily pulled out her copy of Oscar Wilde's _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ and skimmed the chapters ahead.

"Pardon me, excuse me, sorry…" She heard a rather cheery voice through the standing people beside her. She was lucky enough to obtain a seat before the other commuters hoarded in.

"Hello, this seat taken?" The voice asked her. Maris blinked and looked up, bewildered.

"Uh, no." She crossed her legs and made herself small as the man plopped down with a big sigh. He wiggled in his brown trench coat and looked about the car with interest.

"Don't like trams much," he said. Maris looked up from her book again, unsure if he was addressing her or talking to himself. "Too small with _way_ too many people. What do you think?" He turned towards her with a quizzical expression.

"I…what?" she asked, quite put off.

"What. Do. You. Think?" he annunciated.

"About…trams?" she asked, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Uh huh."

"Um," she looked around and shut her book. "I think they smell and they never get me to where I need to be on time."

He chuckled at that and inspected her. "Not a Londoner, I take it? Where are you from? America?"

She nodded and shoved her book in her bag. "Yeah. I'm here for school."

"Ah," he nodded as if in agreement and said, "School. Blimey, I'm getting too old."

Maris raised her eyebrows before slowly turning to look out the window, benignly ignoring the man. Suddenly, the tram lurched forward. She gasped, catching herself before her face smashed against the window.

"What the?"

The man sat up straight and swiveled around in his chair. He took out a bizarre-looking pen and clicked a button. The tip glowed blue and made a 'whirring' sound.

"What's that?" she asked in curiosity, beside herself. He was leaning half out of his chair and pointing the glow-stick down the aisle.

"What, this? Sonic screwdriver. Now, I know it might not be as handy as a sonic _laser_ or a sonic I dunno, _hairdryer_ but it helps with putting up shelves." The man rambled.

"And…you need help in putting up shelves on a tram?" Maris asked.

The man sat back up and turned to her with a bewildered expression. "What?"

"That's what you said it does. Helps put up shelves." She realized how stupid she sounded and pursed her lips together. "Right, just a nutty, don't worry about it." She folded her arms and slouched in her seat, gazing out of the window once more.

"No, no. It _can_ put up shelves. Mostly it's multifunctional as a lockpick, medical scanner, remote control for other devices, and non-terrestrial life tracker." He said quickly, adjusting the settings on the glow stick.

Maris stared at him open-mouthed. Guy was a _nutter_, he was. "Um, so what you just said didn't make any sense at all. It's psycho-babble, is what it is."

"_Well_, technically it's techno-babble since I explain scientific concepts that no one seems to comprehend. What's your name, by the way?" he asked, flippantly pointing the sonic at her.

"Me? Maris. Who are you? The techno-babble makes-people-feel-really-awkward-guy?" she said sarcastically.

He shrugged and nodded in half-agreement. "Eh. More or less. I'm the Doctor. _Huh_…" he checked the readings on his screwdriver before sitting back in his chair and slowly turning towards her.

"_The _Doctor? Doctor who? Of what? Do you even _have_ a proper name?" she asked, getting mildly irritated yet slightly taken by the stranger.

He smiled widely. "Oh, you have no idea how often I get asked that. What's that around your neck?" He pointed the sonic at it.

"My necklace, bugger off." She swatted at the glow-stick, protectively clutching her locket.

"It has strange readings, is all."

"Oh, I'm _sure_ it does." She said, as if to a child reassuring them that Santa was real. "This is my stop. You mind?"

"Oh. Of course." He got up and stood so she could get out.

"Thanks. Smell you later, psycho-babble-doctor." She muttered, quickly fleeing out of the tram and back up into civilization.

"_Just_ the Doctor!" he shouted after her, drawing the attention of the other passengers. Maris was long gone by then, though.

Happy to be back in open air, Maris checked her watch again. It read quarter to three. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and tapped it with a finger. It was dead. She looked around, searching for some other clock. Above a bank was a digital clock with the ambient temperature and the time: 4:15. She was _beyond_ late.

"So, what are you going to school for?"

Maris shrieked and nearly fell over, seeing _the Doctor_ standing beside her. "Oh my _God_, what is your problem? You don't just sneak up on people! Why are you following me?"

He shrugged. "Strange readings on the sonic." He pointed at the screwdriver. She blinked at him a couple of times, coming to the conclusion that this guy was legitimately crazy. "So, what are you going to school for? That's where you're going now, isn't it?"

Maris shook her head and threw her hands up ineffectively. "I _was_. I'm too late now, though. And I'm studying English Lit, if you must know. But I'm here for a program with my minor – history."

"Ah, classic." The Doctor laughed. "Love a Roman." Maris made a face, clearly not understanding a word this man said. "So, _Maris_, nice name by the way. Don't come across many _Maris's_ too often."

"Oh, I bet you don't." She whirled around and began walking away. He bound after her like a dog.

"Last girl I knew had a good name, too. Rose. _Well_, technically the _last_ girl I knew was named Donna. Bit of a fire cracker, that one. But Rose is a good name. It reflected her in every way…" the Doctor trailed off.

Maris rolled her eyes and stopped. "Look, if you wanna talk about your ex-girlfriends, hire a therapist. Don't find random people on the tram to stalk. It's _unhealthy_."

"But I'm not stalking you. I'm stalking the _readings_." He shook the sonic in her face again. "You just happen to be carrying it."

Maris shook her head at him. "Oh, this is ridiculous. Here." She took off her locket and handed it to him. "Go ahead. _Sonic _it. Find nothing wrong with it, give it back, and I'll be on my way and you on yours."

The Doctor snatched it and sonic-ed the living daylights out of it. He made faces and 'huh-ed' a lot, but eventually found nothing abnormal with it. He handed it back to her with a frown.

"Thanks." She looked up at him with interest. "You _really_ thought something was going to happen, didn't you?"

His shoulders slumped. "It's a _little_ reading. Guess I'm desperate now, aren't I? Following strangers and hoping that their jewelry would actually be some sort of alien honing device… I just get _bored_, you know?"

Maris slowly shook her head. "No, I don't know. Because I never am bored. I never have enough time to _be_ bored."

"I have too much," he countered enigmatically.

"Good for you. Why don't you get a job? Make some friends? Stop stalking me?"

"I wasn't stalking you!" he insisted.

"Whoa, hang on!" she raised a hand to shut him up. "Did you say _alien honing device_?"

"I might've, yeah." He nodded.

"Oh, great. You're not one of _those_, are you?" she asked, folding her arms.

"One of what?" he wondered.

"You know, one of those crazies who actually think the world is being taken over by _aliens_? Like what people said happened over Christmas?" she explained.

He stared at her a moment before a thick eyebrow rose in amusement. Then he laughed. "Oh, if _only…_" he managed to choke out between sobs of laughter.

"I don't see what's so funny!" Maris yelled over his inane laughing.

"Nothing, don't worry about it. Now, _that…_however, is interesting." He pointed over her shoulder towards the hospital.

"What?" Maris turned around and saw a mass of cloud hover around the building. "What's that?"

"What I've been waiting for!" The Doctor said excitedly. He ran a few paces then turned around. "Coming?"

Maris stood there, baffled. A mental war raged before a glance at her broken watch reminded her how restricted she was to time. Perhaps going out of her way to disturb her normal routine and doing something else with her time would be interesting… She shook her head.

"Oh, what the hell. Yes!" She ran after him to the hospital.


	2. Chapter 2: Smith and Jones

**AN: **Hey everyone! Here' Ch2, officially beginning Series 3. Comments and concerns are always welcome. Thanks! -Nimith

Chapter Two: Smith and Jones

"I'm sorry, but what is your reason for coming here again?" asked a nurse who was taking down the Doctor's information. He was changed out of his suit and put in a hospital gown. To her utter embarrassment, he named Maris as his emergency contact so she was valid for being there.

"Feeling…" the Doctor made a _thinking face_ and said, "Blah."

The nurse hesitantly took that down before saying, "Alright…um, any reason why do you think?"

"He has severe abdominal pains." Maris finally yelled at the nurse. Mostly because she was getting a huge migraine from the stupidity of the staff. The nurse jumped and scurried away.

"Good thinking, though I probably would've gone for something like… brain hemorrhage." Said the Doctor with a cheek grin at her.

"Doctor, we've been here _all night_. What's going on?" Maris asked and cracked her neck, feeling the aching relief with each pop.

The Doctor made a face. "Ew. That's not very good for you, you know."

"Yeah? You sleep in a chair tonight, then. I'll be the sick one who gets a comfy hospital bed." She huffed and slouched, folding her arms.

"I'm more convincing." He decided, sniffing slightly. "And we're here because something is throwing off the sonic." He said, drawing it from beneath the sheets and wagging it at her.

"_Oh_, the sonic. Of course." She rolled her eyes.

"Still don't believe it can do anything?" he asked leadingly.

"Nope. Amaze me." Maris dared.

"'Kay…" he pointed it at her and pressed the button. It 'whirred' as he scanned it up and down the length of her body. He snapped it back and read it like a thermometer. "Right, let's see. Maris Devereux, age twenty-one, no immediate medical trauma however you do suffer from slight asthma, you were born two months premature – wow, good on you for wanting to see the world early – parents are divorced, lives with mum, haven't seen dad since age – oh, sad – three, and to add to your abandonment issues, you're adopted."

Maris slumped back in her chair, dumbstruck. "I…I don't know whether to be insulted or impressed."

"Well, at least you're honest." The Doctor shifted in the bed and slipped the sonic back under the sheets. "Sadly, it doesn't tell me your hopes and dreams. Though, that would be interesting. What's a twenty-one year old American doing in Britain?"

Maris looked away. "Dunno, saw the opportunity to come here, went with it. Thought to see a bit of the world before actually having to be imprisoned by society. Getting a job, suffering the same routine over and over again. It's just…"

"Boring." The Doctor said with a soft smile. "I know how you feel. So, you believe me now?"

"What, that you have some sort of futuristic sonic technology? Guess I have to, don't I?" she laughed uncertainly.

The Doctor sat up and leaned towards her with a mischievous smile. "Wanna know something else?"

Maris leaned in too. "What?"

The Doctor grinned. "I'm an alien."

She sat back and laughed. "Shut up."

"I am." He said, "It's true. _And_ I travel in time."

Maris burst out laughing, startling many of the staff and other patients. "You're joking!"

"Nope. I could even prove it to you. _Well_, after all of this that is." He said, gesturing to the overall hospital.

She snorted. "Oh, yeah? Prove it how?"

The Doctor smirked. "Take you on a trip, of course. Any time, any place in history or the galaxy – or not even this galaxy. I've got a ship."

"You'd take _me_ on a trip through time and/or space? Why?" she asked, hardly believing she was humoring the cockamamie idea.

The Doctor sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Because you're the yank in the British colony and believe me, I know what that's like. So, what do you say?"

Maris chuckled to herself and took a deep breath. "Sure, why not?"

Suddenly, the bed curtain was pushed back. "Now then, Mr. Smith, a very good morning to you. How are you today?" asked a balding man in a distracting striped tie. With him was an entourage of white-clad students.

"Oh, not so bad." The Doctor said flippantly, "Still a bit…blah."

The man turned to the students. "John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me." he said, looking at a pretty girl with mocha skin and hair darker than Maris' own brunette tresses.

_Jones_ walked around the bed and said to the Doctor, "That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?"

The Doctor blinked in confusion as she brought the stethoscope to his chest. "What?"

"On Chancellor Street, this morning." Jones explained, glancing at Maris as if her presence was crowding her. Maris hung back in her chair, wondering what was going on. "You came up to me and took your tie off."

"_Really?_" asked the Doctor, amazed. "What did I do that for?"

"Dunno, you just did." Jones said, irritably.

"Uh, no not me. I've been here in bed. Ask the nurses. Ask Maris," he said, pointing at her. Maris waved slightly as Jones looked over to her.

"That's weird, because it looked just like you." Jones insisted. "Have you got a brother?"

"No, not anymore. Just me." the Doctor said innocently.

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones…" the head doctor inferred.

Jones apologized and took the Doctor's heartbeat. Confusion lit up in her face and she moved the stethoscope to the other side of his chest, eyes widening in disbelief. The Doctor winked.

"Oh, I weep for future generations…" bald-man uttered. "Having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"

"Um…" Jones shook her head, playing it off. "Stomach cramps?"

"That's a symptom, not a diagnosis," Baldy-man rolled his eyes and took the Doctor's chart, "And you failed to look at his chart –ow!" he was shocked by the metal of the chart.

"That happened to me this morning." Jones recalled.

Maris brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, watching the group with complete disinterest. Everyone seemed to have been shocked at some point. Fascinating. She grabbed a sandwich wrap from the nightstand and decided now was as good as time as any to eat.

"There's a storm moving in, it's to be expected. Lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by… Anyone?" Baldy asked.

"Benhamin Fwankin," Maris said with a mouthful of lettuce. The Doctor grinned over at her.

"My mate, Ben. That was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite. And then I got soaked."

"Poor you," commented Maris as she took another bite of the sandwich.

"_And then_ I got electrocuted! Believe that, Maris?" the Doctor asked pointedly.

She looked up, startled he was even listening to her comments and covered her mouth as she chewed. "Eating. Go away."

"Cant. Stuck in a bed." He surmised.

"_Right_, moving on…" Baldy took the group away and said quietly, "Perhaps a visit from psychiatric, hm?" The group left though Jones stole a glance back at the Doctor, who smiled widely and showed his teeth.

"Stop that," Maris said, hitting him in the thigh. "You'll scare away the indigenous."

"So you _do_ believe me!" the Doctor cried happily.

Maris shrugged. "It's better to believe in something ridiculous than go through life believing in nothing."

The Doctor locked eyes with her and smiled widely. "Brilliant."

Thunder boomed and lightening cracked. Maris looked out of the window just as it began storming. "Is that the storm Baldy was talking about?" she asked.

"That's not a normal storm…" the Doctor said, strangely serious. "Here, get me out of this." He pulled out his IV. "Grab my clothes, would you?"

Maris hurried to the dresser beside the bed and pulled out a blue suit and Converse. "What happened to the brown one?"

"Eh, gotta change things up somehow." He grabbed them and pushed closed the bed curtains. "Stand watch."

"Brilliant." She rolled her eyes and did as she was told. Her eyes were drawn back to the window and she gasped loudly. "_Omigod!_"

"What?" the Doctor asked from behind the curtain. "You alright?"

"The rain!" Her eyes went wide.

"What about it?" asked the Doctor.

"It's…falling _up_." She whispered.

The Doctor threw the sheet back and joined her at gaping out the window. Suddenly, the entire hospital building shifted like there was an earthquake. Maris screamed and was thrown back onto the floor. The Doctor landed beside her. He held out his hands.

"Hang on!" he shouted. Not needing any more coaxing, she grabbed his hands and clung to him like the world was ending.

"What's happening? Is in an earthquake?" she shouted above the breaking glass and screaming people.

"Not exactly!" the Doctor yelled back.

With a deafening _boom_ everything stopped. Gasping, Maris stood with the Doctor's help and looked around wildly. "What happened?" She looked out of the window again and nearly fainted. "Are we…on the _moon?_"

"Looks like..." the Doctor steadied her and took a step closer to the window. "Blimey, this is an odd day."

"You're telling me." Maris sighed and smoothed back her bangs. "Okay, so… what are we going to do?"

The Doctor looked down at her in surprise. "We?"

She scoffed, "Duh. After having to sleep at your bedside in a _chair_, I think we're at the _we_ stage of this insane friendship."

The Doctor beamed. "Fantastic! _And_ you're not panicking. That's good. Come on." He took her hand.

Suddenly, Jones burst into the room. "It's _real!_ It's really real!" She exclaimed to her friend. "Hang on," she went to reach for the window latch.

"Don't! We'll lose all the air!" cried the spare.

"They're not exactly airtight, wouldn't we have lost it already?" Jones figured.

"Good point!" the Doctor wagged a finger at her. "Brilliant, in fact. What was your name?"

"Martha," she said with a smile.

"Alright then, Martha Jones, question is: How are we still breathing?" he asked, going to the window with Maris.

"We cant be!" the nurse cried, sobbing.

"Obviously we are, so don't waste my time," the Doctor snapped, "Martha, what do we got here? A balcony or veranda?"

"By the patient's lounge, yeah." She said, "Come on."

"Fancy going out, Maris?" the Doctor laughed. "We might die."

"We might not," Martha countered.

"Good. Come on. Not her, she'll hold us up." The Doctor pointed at the other nurse before running from the room with Maris and Martha in toe. They came to the door.

"Moment of truth," Maris said softly, "Ready Doctor?"

"Ready. Coming, Martha?" he glanced at her. She nodded. They took hold of the doors and pushed. Cool air greeted them. Maris breathed out in relief. They stepped out onto the balcony.

The Doctor inhaled deeply and looked out at the earth. Maris looked out in wonder at the many stars and of course at her home planet.

"This…is…_wow_." She said, mostly to herself, gripping the balcony ledge like a vice. "I'm in _space!_"

"Brilliant, isn't it?" the Doctor grinned.

"W-We've got air!" Martha said, coming up behind them. "How does that work?"

"Just be glad it does," the Doctor said, sparing her a glance back.

Martha tentatively joined them at the ledge. "I've got a party tonight…" she said, looking up at Maris. "My brother's 21st."

Maris smiled kindly at her. "Mine was two weeks ago."

Martha laughed more out of fear than happiness. "Happy birthday, then!"

Maris chuckled too. "Yeah, happy birthday."

Martha lowered her eyes. "My mother's going to be really…really…"

The Doctor glanced at the girls. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Martha said quickly.

"You sure?" he pressed. "We could go back in."

"No, I'm fine. I mean, we could die at any minute, but all the same, it's beautiful." Martha said shakily. "We're on the moon! How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are!"

"Standing in the earthlight," the Doctor added, bending down and resting his arms on the ledge.

"What do you think happened, Doctor?" Maris asked him.

"Doctor? You're a doctor?" Martha questioned.

The Doctor didn't respond. "Better question: What do _you_ think happened, Martha?"

Martha blinked in surprise. "Oh, um…" she gave it a moment then said, "Extraterrestrials. Gotta be."

"_Really?_" Maris asked with a small grin.

"That would've sounded mad two years ago, but _these_ days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben. Christmas. Those Cybermen things…" she trailed off sadly, "I had a cousin, Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said, "I was there, in the battle. It was…" he trailed off as well, but into silence. Maris looked over at him as Martha continued to gaze out at the stars.

"I promise you, Mr. Smith, or Dr. Smith, we will find a way out." Martha actually sounded convincing.

"Eeyeah, that's not my real name." the Doctor said, seemingly shaken out of his stupor.

"Then what is it?" asked Martha.

"The Doctor."

"So, it's _Doctor_ Smith?" Martha asked.

"No, just the Doctor." He ran to the edge and peered over.

"How do you mean just _the Doctor_?" asked Martha.

"You learn to just stop asking," Maris chimed in.

"And you call him _the Doctor_?" Martha asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah…" Maris replied, glancing at the Doctor, who was watching them in a knit brow.

"Well, I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, you need to earn that title." Her jaw clenched.

"Well, I better make a start, then. Let's have a look." The Doctor sprang into action. He bent down, picked up a stray stone, and tossed it into the air. It hit a bubble shield.

"Wow, like a forcefield!" Maris said excitedly.

"Now we know what's keeping the air in," he agreed.

"But, if that's what's keeping the air in that means that this is all the air we have. What happens when it runs out?" Martha asked, turning towards the Doctor and Maris.

They shared a worried glance. "How many people in the hospital?" asked the Doctor.

"I dunno, a thousand?" Martha guessed.

"One thousand people….suffocating." The Doctor suddenly grew rigid and he tensed.

"Why would anyone do that?" Martha asked angrily.

"I already have asthma, I don't think suffocating is gonna be my _thing_." Maris said, trying to lighten his mood.

A rumbling sound shook the moon. "Heads up, ask them yourself!" the Doctor said, watching as three giant spaceships landed onto the moon. From its massive doors marched troops in black.

"Who's that?" Maris asked, unconsciously gripping the Doctor's arm.

"Aliens!" Martha gasped, "Proper aliens!"

The Doctor's eyes darkened. "Judoon."


	3. Chapter 3: Judoon Platoon upon the Moon

**AN:** Hi all! Chapter 3 is up. As always, comments and concerns are welcome! Love to hear thoughts. –Nimith.

Chapter Three: Judoon Platoon upon the Moon

"You've got a little shop! I love a little shop." The Doctor chimed as they ducked above the guest lounge balcony ledge.

"You'd get along great with my gran," Maris deadpanned.

"Never mind that!" Martha hissed as they hid behind a group of plants. "What are Judoon?"

"They're like police. _Well_, police-for-hire." The Doctor explained, "They're more like interplanetary thugs."

"What, like mercenaries?" Maris asked.

"Yeah, just like." The Doctor whispered.

"And _they_ brought us to the moon?" asked Martha.

"Don't tell me it's like neutral territory or something?" Maris joked.

The Doctor gazed at her. "Exactly. According to Galactic Law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth so they isolated it. That storm, the rain and lightening? That was them. Used an H2O Scoop."

"A _what?_" Maris asked in confusion.

"What are you _on_ about? Galactic Law, I mean where did that come from?" Martha chuckled. The Doctor didn't answer but crawled away to get a better view. Maris followed. It took Martha another second. "Anyway, if they're police, are we under arrest? We're not trespassing on the moon or anything, right?"

"No, but I like that. Good thinking. No, wish it were that simple." The Doctor sniffed. "They're making a catalogue, that means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for me," said an irritated Doctor.

"Why?" Martha asked, looking at him. Both the Doctor and Maris turned to stare at her simultaneously. At their silence, Martha scoffed, "Oh, you're kidding me? Don't be ridiculous!" They continued to stare at her. "Stop staring at me."

"Come on, then." The Doctor tapped Maris's shoulder and together they snuck away, followed by a flabbergasted Martha.

They ran up the second and third floor to the fifth. The Doctor threw open a door and they hid in a room with a computer. Immediately, the Doctor went over to it and soniced it. He glanced at Maris, who was bent over and drawing in large intakes of breath.

"You alright?" he asked, glancing back at the computer.

"Yeah," she panted, "Just…running...lungs…ow." She waved him off and he shrugged.

"They've reached the third floor," Martha informed them. "What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver," said the Doctor monotonously. He looked fairly agitated, like he wasn't finding what he was looking for.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly!" Martha muttered.

"Seriously, it's a sonic screwdriver. Not as helpful as a sonic _laser_ per say, but quite handy with putting up shelves." Maris said with a light smile. The Doctor smirked as he worked.

"What else have you got, a laser spanner?" Martha said, half jokingly.

"I did," answered the Doctor quite seriously, "But it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst. Cheeky woman." He swiveled around and pointed at Maris, "_You_ remind me of her."

Maris shrugged and smiled. "I do what I can."

"Yeah, don't let it go to your head," the Doctor mumbled before violently slapping the computer screen, "What's wrong with this computer?" He sighed before answering himself, "The Judoon must've locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon…" he ran a hand through his already ridiculous hair, "Because, I was just traveling past, just wandering. Honestly, I wasn't looking for trouble. _Well_, sort of." He glanced at Maris apologetically, "But nothing like this. But then we noticed the plasma coils around the hospital."

"_You_ noticed. I just saw storm clouds," Maris interjected, much to the Doctor's growing ire.

"You did too, the lightening, that's a plasma coil, it's been building up for two days now. That's why I had Maris check me in, I thought something was going on inside. Turns out the plasma coils were jus the Judoon up above." He ran a hand over his face, "Fantastic."

"Wait, wait, wait." Martha held up her hands. "So, are _you_ an alien too?" she asked Maris.

"Who, me? Oh, no. Definitely not. Totally human. Met this nutter two days ago and have had more interesting things happen to me in that span than I've ever witnessed in my whole life. It's frakking _weird_ is what it is."

"Oi, watch that language." The Doctor grumbled.

"Just said _frakking_…" Maris said, confused.

"It's a cuss somewhere, believe you me." The Doctor gave her a pointed look.

"So, what are the Judoon looking for?" Martha asked, bringing their attention back to the problem at hand.

"Something that looks human, but isn't." He replied.

"Like you, apparently." Martha grinned.

"Like me," he agreed, "But _not_ me."

"Don't they have a photo or something? That's what they do on those cop shows." Maris thought as she leaned against the table.

"Might be a shape-changer," countered the Doctor. "And really, you watch those?" He made a clicking sound with his tongue and shook his head.

"Well, can't you just leave the Judoon to find whatever they're looking for?" Martha brought up.

The Doctor continued his work on the computer. "No. If they find the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution."

"_All_ of us?" Maris asked, "But that's hardly fair."

"Oh, yes." The Doctor agreed. "But if I can find it first… _Oh!_" Martha and Maris jumped. "Do you see? They're thick! Judoon are thick. They are _so_ completely thick, they've wiped the records! Oh, that's clever." He stuck his hands in his hair and made it sticky-uppy.

"Well, what are we looking for?" Martha asked urgently.

"I don't know…" The Doctor glanced at them, "Say, any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms? Maybe there's a backup!" He accosted the computer monitor and flipped it over.

"Just, keep working. I'll go see Mr. Stoker, he might know." Martha said, running out of the room.

Maris swung her legs under the table before sighing loudly. "_So_, this is fun."

The Doctor's eyebrow rose. "Yeah? Still want to take that little trip?"

Maris smiled, "I wouldn't miss it."

The Doctor stopped working and looked up at her. "Really? Even after this?"

"Well, you did promise to take me after this so…yeah, after this." Maris nodded, trying to keep herself from laughing.

The Doctor chuckled. "Good. That's good. It'll be fabulous, I promise. And, you know, less life-threatening."

Maris giggled. "Whatever floats your boat, Captain."

"No, no. I'm the Doctor, not the Captain," he said, going back to work on the computer.

"Yeah, I know… I was just... Because you said you had a ship." Maris shook her head, "Never mind."

"Got it!" the Doctor cried, "Let's get our third musketeer. Come on!" He grabbed Maris by the hand and ran into the hall, colliding headfirst with Martha.

"I've restored the back up!" the Doctor announced happily.

"I found her!" Martha said, breathless.

"You what?" the Doctor asked, his happiness depleting.

The door broke down and a black leather thing began chasing them.

"Run!" Shouted the Doctor, grabbing Maris by the hand as Maris grabbed Martha's. "Down the stairs!"

They jumped down flights at a time, coming face to helmet with the Judoon. Veering to the side, they entered another hall. And another. And another. The running was endless and Maris was at her limits. Their hands had broken apart so to run better.

"Quick, in here!" The Doctor all but shoved them into a lab. "When I say 'now', press the button!"

"What button?" Martha shrieked.

"Figure it out!" The Doctor yelled, doing his own thing.

"Here!" Maris threw Martha an instruction manual and together flipped through it frantically. "Running out of time!" Maris warned her as the door cracked and the hinges flew off.

"NOW!" The Doctor yelled.

"Uh…" Martha hesitated before slamming her hand down on one of the big buttons. A bright light buzzed and Maris covered her eyes with her hands until it was gone.

"What did you _do_?" Martha asked in awe.

"Increased the radiation by 5,000%. Killed him dead." The Doctor said, blinking slightly.

"Won't that kill you?" Maris asked, catching the manual Martha threw at her. She slumped back and glared at Martha before setting down the manual gently.

"Nah, it's only roentgen radiation. Used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It's safe to come out, by the way. I've absorbed it all." The Doctor informed them. They did as he suggested. "Just gotta expel it…" He grunted, bouncing on his heels. "If I concentrate, I can shift the radiation out of my body and into one spot like…foot!" he shook his foot, "Ow! Easy does it! Out, out, out, out! OW! Itches, itches, itches, oh, hold on!" He grabbed his sneaker and tore it off of his foot, dumping it in the nearby trash can. "Done." He grinned.

"You're _completely_ mad." Martha deadpanned.

The Doctor frowned. "You're right, I look daft with one shoe." He grabbed the other and soon it joined its mate. "Barefoot on the moon!" Maris covered her mouth to keep from laughing audibly at his antics. Man was a loon, but a doggone _funny_ loon.

Martha just shook her head. "So, what is that thing? And where's it from, Planet Zovirax?"

"I have no idea what that means," Maris commented beside the Doctor.

"Just a Slab. They're called Slabs. Basic slave drones. Solid leather all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish." He sprang up and dug out his sonic screwdriver from the machine.

Maris gasped sadly, "Aw, oh no! Not the sonic." It was sizzling and burnt up.

"Not the sonic, is right. I love my sonic…" the Doctor said sadly.

"It was Miss Finnegan. She was one of the patients but…" Martha was interrupted by the Doctor.

"_Burnt_ my sonic screwdriver!" He stroked it tenderly.

"She had a straw, like some sort of vampire," Martha tried again.

"I _love_ my sonic screwdriver."

"_Doctor!_" Martha raised her voice. The Doctor jumped and tossed the sonic over his shoulder.

"Right, what? Hey, you called me Doctor!" He grinned.

"_Anyway_, Miss Finnegan is the alien, she was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood." Martha finally got it out.

"Yuck," Maris made a face.

"Yuck is right. Funny time for a snack, you'd think she'd be hiding. Unless…" the Doctor looked away distractedly. "No! Is it? Yes… Internal shape-changer! She wasn't drinking Mr Stoker's blood she was assimilating it! She can mimic the assimilated biology. We have to find her and show the Judoon, come on!"

They ran out of the room and back into the halls of the hospital. The Doctor suddenly grabbed Maris by the arm and dragged her and Martha back around the corner, "Wait! Down, hide." The crouched by a water cooler just as another Slab stalked by. The Doctor watched it carefully and whispered, "That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs."

"What about you?" Martha asked, "You got like, back up coming or something?"

The Doctor appeared insulted and speechless. He scoffed, "Humans. We're stuck on the moon, running out of air with Judoon and bloodsucking criminal, and you're asking personal questions. Come on." He stood and walked away. Martha and Maris shared a glance before following.

"Like that…'Humans'. Still not convinced you're an alien." Martha uttered.

The Doctor skid to a stop as a previously unseen Judoon shined the blue cataloguer in his face. It 'whirred' and 'whizzed'. "Non human!" The Judoon grunted.

"Oh my God, you really are!" Martha said in shock.

"And again!" cried the Doctor, grabbing their hands and running.

"Running up stairs is _way_ worse than running down them!" Maris whined, following him and Martha into another hall. The Doctor shut the door and breathed deeply. They walked further down the way, stepping over people who were running out of air.

"They've done this floor, come on." The Doctor said, glancing back at them. "The Judoon are logical and a bit thick. They won't check a floor they've checked already. _If_ we're lucky."

"How much oxygen is left?" Maris asked, feeling the sweat bead on her forehead.

"Why, you alright?" The Doctor whirled around, concerned.

"Fine." She nodded, swallowing hard.

"There's not enough," Martha quipped, "We're gonna run out. But what about the Judoon?"

"Nah, they got great big lung reserves. This won't slow them down." The Doctor looked from side to side for danger.

"Yeah, they look like rhinos, go figure they have the lungs of them too." Maris groaned, feeling hear head get light. "This whole…lack of oxygen thing really sucks."

"Are you sure you're alright?" the Doctor asked again.

"_Yes_, let's just keep going." Maris nudged past him until he and Martha decided to follow.

"Where's Mr. Stoker's office?" the Doctor asked Martha.

"This way," she said, leading them down the hall.

"Careful," The Doctor held a hand for them to stay back as he entered the office first. "It's safe."

Martha and Maris filed in, looking around cautiously.

"Oh, she was here!" Martha moaned, "I saw her."

"Is that…a dead body?"

The Doctor and Martha turned and saw Maris grow pale. She instantly went rigid. "Not that I'm bothered by it or anything… Just, you know… never seen one outside a funeral home before." She opened her mouth to say something else but her eyes found Mr. Stoker's open dead ones again and her hand flew over her mouth. "I'm going to be sick." She ran out of the room.

The Doctor frowned and went to follow her. "Wait!" Martha followed him.

"I was right, she's a Plasmavore." The Doctor said, leaning against the wall outside of the women's restroom.

"What's she doing on Earth?" asked Martha with a knit brow.

"Hiding, on the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro." He looked away in thought. "But what's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon can execute us all."

Maris emerged from the restroom, looking a little worse for wear but together nonetheless. The Doctor turned to her with worried eyes. "You alright?"

She looked up at him childishly and perhaps it was from the growing lack of oxygen to her brain, but she blurted, "I threw up."

The Doctor tried to hide his smile. "That's okay. You feeling better? Other than the whole imminent death thing?"

"Oh, yeah. Peachy." Maris nodded. "Totally. Yep. Hey, let's _not_ go find more dead bodies."

The Doctor chuckled. "It's a plan. Come on," he grabbed her hand and with Martha, they walked down the hall. "Okay, think, think, think. If I was a wanted Plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" He looked up and saw the big red MRI sign. "Oh! She's as clever as me. Almost."

Crashing at the end of the hall alerted them to more Judoon. The Doctor rounded on Martha. "Martha, stay here. I need time, you've got to hold them up."

"What? How?" Martha asked him, panicking.

"Just," the Doctor stomped a bare foot, "Forgive me for this. It could save a thousand lives and it means nothing. Honestly, nothing." Before what anyone knew was happening, the Doctor had planted a big wet one on Martha's lips. "Come on, Maris!" he took her hand and they ran away, leaving Martha standing in the hallway with a stricken look on her face.

"Why did you kiss her?" Maris asked him as they ran.

"What, are you jealous?" The Doctor glanced at her with a grin.

"No! I just don't understand!" It was a half-truth, but she'd think about that later.

"Genetic transfer!" He answered, dragging her down a different hall. They skid to a stop. "This is it. Stay outside here and keep watch. Understand? Don't come in."

Maris searched his eyes for any further instruction but found none. She sighed and nodded. "Fine."

"Good." The Doctor opened the door and disappeared.

Maris slid down the wall, finally letting the fact she couldn't breathe all that well sink in. Light was flashing and Maris felt her eyes grow heavy. Suddenly, the Judoon burst path, startling her awake. Martha was in their wake. She tried to stand, but fell back down and heaved for more air. There was no air to be had, and her head hit the cold floor.

Shallow breathing was painful. Maris opened her eyes lazily, wondering why they were so difficult to lift. Flashing lights and an alarm blaring hurt her ears. Then it came back. The Doctor! The Judoon were leaving! But, the air… She summoned what little strength she had and crawled to the door. She shoved it open with a hand and pulled herself along the floor to where the Doctor was laying. An unconscious Martha was beside him. She crawled over to him and looked again at Martha. _She_ had medical training, not Maris!

"What do I do?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Martha had lifted her head up with great difficulty. "Two…hearts…" she uttered before her eyes shut again.

"Two hearts? What does that…" Maris's eyes widened with understanding. He was an alien! Martha couldn't find his heartbeat when she checked him out that morning! She took in two shallow breaths, forcing them as deep as she could. "Okay!" She shut her eyes and exhaled into his mouth, filling his lungs with her air. She mimicked what until then she had only seen in movies and pound one side of his chest, then the other, and went back in for another drag of air. She choked and slid to the side, one arm hanging over his body. Then her body gave up and her lungs tightened. Darkness took her.


	4. Chapter 4: Shakespeare Code

**AN:** Greetings once again. Obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing except for Maris. The truth is a sad thing to behold. Anyway, comments and concerns are always appreciated! -Nimith.

Chapter Four: The Shakespeare Code

When she awoke, Maris was in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. She took in a nice deep breath and felt infinitely better. She looked around and saw a familiar brown trench coat hung over the bedside chair. She grinned and sat up, trying the door, and slipping into the hall. The hall circled around into a main room of amber. And there he was, the Doctor good as new, bouncing about the controls like a kid at Christmas. He looked up and grinned.

"Ha! Alive are you? Sorry, I didn't know where you lived so I just brought you here. I had wanted to see your face when you first walk in, but… well, you know. Beggars can't be chosers, eh?" He rambled as she came down the stairs to meet him.

"This…is your ship?" she asked, circling around, taking it all in.

"Eyup. Called the Tardis. Time and Relative Dimensions in Space." He said, coming up beside her.

She gave him a dry glance. "Not a very good acronym is it?"

"Well, it had to be pronounceable." He grinned before looking away a moment. "So, I hearsay that you might've saved my life."

Maris shrugged and smirked. "Yeah, you know, no big. If Martha hadn't muttered the fact you kind of have two hearts, we all might be dead. She deserves a shout out, too. How is she, by the way? What happened to the hospital?"

"Slow down, take a breath, relax. Everything is fine. The Judoon put us all back on Earth, Martha lived to tell the tale, and now you get that trip like I promised." The Doctor said happily, "How's that sound?"

Maris nodded excitedly. "Amazing! But…"

The Doctor's face immediately fell. "But?"

She scratched the back of her head. "Well, Martha seemed pretty infatuated with the whole 'being on the moon'-thing. I bet she'd like a trip, too. And technically, she helped save your life."

The Doctor folded his arms and leaned against the console. "You'd be alright with sharing a trip? Because it's just the one."

"Absolutely. She should get a trip, too." Maris repeated.

The Doctor clicked his tongue. "Alrighty, then. Let's pick up Martha Jones! You may need to hold onto something. This can be bumpy!"

Bumpy was an understatement. The Tardis lurched and veered every which way and Maris found herself reveling in its excitement. "This is insane!" she shouted as the Doctor just laughed. It finally ground to a halt.

"Okay, this should be the place." The Doctor said wistfully.

"Um, is there like, a kitchen or something? I kind of have a massive craving for…anything to eat, really. I'm famished." Maris mentioned as the Doctor strode towards the door.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just go up the stairs, to the right, take a left and straight down the corridor. I'll grab Martha alone, then?" he asked.

"Have at it, Captain."

"No, I'm not…" The Doctor sighed and shook his head as she ran away before he could finish his sentence. "Bloody Emily Pankhurst, I swear." He opened the door to find Martha.

Maris wandered around until she found the kitchen. It looked just like any other kitchen, although there were a few bizarre looking mechanisms. She stayed away from those. She searched the cupboards, a fridge, and found some bread and jam. Deciding to take it old school, she made a peanut butter and jelly before heading back into the control room, where she heard voices.

"I mean, some friends travelling alongside me," said the Doctor. "I had…until recently….friend of mine. Rose, her name was. Rose and… We were together. Anyway," he fiddled with the console absently.

"And Maris?" she heard Martha ask. She decided to hang back and eavesdrop – morality be damned.

"Hm? Oh, Maris. Just met her. Thought she had an alien doohickey, but it turns out not so much. Saw the plasma coils around the hospital and I asked her if she wanted to come along with me. Nearly killed her because of it…"

"It just seemed like you two…" Martha trailed off meaningfully.

"Us two what?" The Doctor asked, oblivious.

"Just like you were _together_ or something." Martha shrugged.

"Togeth—_Oh_, no. Not us. She's a…friend. Just a friend. But, as I said, since the two of you saved my life, you get a trip." The Doctor summed up.

"Did you promise her a trip before she saved your life?" Martha asked.

"What? Well, yes, but… you helped save my life so I thought to maybe bundle it or something. Like cable tv. Bundling." The Doctor coughed.

Maris decided now was a good time to show herself. She walked out with her sandwich and waved at Martha, "Hi! There's a kitchen!"

The Doctor shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Of all the things you could've made in that kitchen, you go with a PB&J?"

"You don't mess with a good thing, Captain." Maris pointed out.

The Doctor folded his arms in scolding. "It's _the Doctor_, not the Captain."

"Well, this is your ship, right?" Maris figured.

"Yes…" The Doctor frowned.

"And you pilot it?" she continued.

"Yes, but…"

"Then you're the captain." She shrugged.

"Maris…" he warned with a quirk of the eyebrow.

"La, I can't hear you." She leapt away, plugging her fingers in her ears.

Martha laughed. "Wow, this is going to be a fun trip, innit?"

"Speaking of…" The Doctor went back to the console and flipped a few switches, "And there's the handbrake… Ready?" He asked them.

They both shook their heads. "Not in the least." Martha giggled.

"Let's do it." Maris grinned.

"Off we go!" The Doctor cried, and once again they were bouncing through time.

When the Tardis finally landed, it did with a BANG.

"So, _how_ does it travel in time? I mean, what makes it _go_?" Martha asked.

"Oh sure, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything. Trust me, you don't want to know. It just does!" The Doctor said, grabbing his coat. "Now, make the most of it! I said one trip, and one trip only. Outside this door," he knocked on the front door with his heel, "Brave new world."

Maris bounced on her heels, "Where are we?"

The Doctor wiggled his eyebrows. "Take a look."

"Come on!" Martha grabbed Maris by the hand and virtually dragged her outside. They were met with the smell of dung.

"_Oh_, that is…beautiful." Maris scowled as a man tossed manure with a shovel.

"You're kidding me! We travelled in time! When are we?" Martha squealed.

"Eh, somewhere before the invention of the toilet, sorry about that." He began to walk away as Maris followed.

"Wait! Can we move around and stuff? Is it safe?" she asked.

"What do you mean, of course it's safe." The Doctor gave her a sidelong confused glance.

"It's like in the films, you step on a butterfly and you alter the future of the human race." She explained.

"Tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies. What have butterflies ever done to you?" The Doctor asked with a frown. "Well, how about it Maris? You're the history minor. When do you think we are?" he asked, offering her his arm. He offered Martha the other as she walked over to him.

"Um," Maris looked around as they walked. "Before the toilet you said, so that coupled with what I'm seeing… I'm going to guess… 16th century?"

"Oh, you are good!" The Doctor praised. "This is London… 1599. Elizabethan. So that means…" he drove them around the corner, "Ah yes! The Globe Theater! Brand new! Though, it's not really a globe it's a tetradecagon, 14 sides, containing the _man_ himself."

Maris's eyes widened and her inner fangirl emerged. "You're kidding me!" she had to literally stop herself from jumping up and down, "You can't mean…"

The Doctor grinned at her evident excitement. "Oh, yes. I do."

"Who?" Martha asked, looking between the two.

The Doctor and Maris glanced at one another before shouting, "SHAKESPEARE!"

**AN:** Hey guys, pretty exciting, right? Ha. Stay tuned for the next Chapter: The Lost Play! Should get to writing it at some point this week but school… Problems. Thanks for reading!


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